At what point do you sacrifice accuracy for comfort?

[ChaseKiefer]

Hey everybody,

When making costumes I always try to make sure it is both comfortable yet accurate. For example, I go to Star Wars Weekends every year and I always costume as a jedi. I sacrifice accuracy by choosing a lighter fabric, and i drop the cloak in order to compensate for the 90+ degree heat.

I know there are members here that are willing to pass out or even bleed in order to portray a character accurately. I was curious to know others opinions about this issue. So how far are you willing to go?

 

[Jaedena]

Well, we're working on video game costumes and with gaming there's always clipping. So some things on screen just are absolutely *impossible* in life, such as the calf pieces in the suit we're making now. I try to come up with creative solutions to give an illusion without the painful cutting in to the back of the knee that clipping would entail, so foamies for the calf pieces instead of rigid wonderflex or thick EVA.

 

[wickedoffroad]

i would say it depends on the person. One might be able to take more pain than another. I would say go untill you feel it would take away the fun from wearing the costume.

 

[BGL]

If you are able to go for accuracy i would go for it but sometime it is just IMPOSSIBLE like NOISY BOY lol !!! When the proportion is out of the human race your screw another good one the probe in Sector 9 movie good luck for his chest area

 

[indiefilmgeek]

All my kids already know the sliding scale. On one end is "Comfortable"... on the other is "Looks Kick-butt!"

So, I just ask each of them where they want the costume to fall. You usually sacrifice one for the other. Some rare exceptions exist (my daughter was a pretty good-looking Ghostbuster a couple years back, and that was both cool and comfortable), but most of the time that's the rule.

Now the kids begin their costume requests with disclaimers like, "I want to be a DRAGON... not perfectly realistic though, cause I don't want to be uncomfortable." :lol

 

[Techkman]

The limit is -as wickedoffroad said- where it stops to be fun and just gives the wearer pain/frustration.

If you can and want to walk cripple for a full day/weekend in a suit then be my guest but some people can't do it so they slightly cop out.
Which is fine in my book around the point where you need to bend over backwards or be as thin as a stick.

 

[SailorEarth]

lol, indie. Start 'em young.

For me, the satisfaction of a job well done is worth a little pain so I go with accuracy. I'm not going to bleed for a costume (any more) but I am willing to put up with being hot, bruised, sore and generally uncomfortable. My solution is usually to have my husband as my handler. If I have a heavy prop and costume I'll hand the prop off to him every now and then to give myself a break. He'll also carry water and whatnot around for me and he fans me off if I get too hot. He's so very patient with my hobbies